International

• Thursday, February 16th 2012 - 04:28 UTC

  French president Sarkozy confirms re-election bid; trails Socialist candidate by 15 points

  

  President Nicolas Sarkozy formally declared his candidacy for a second term on Wednesday seeking to overturn a wide poll lag with promises to get the unemployed back to work and use referendums to consult the French people on reforms.

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 05:50 UTC

  Brazil and Germany committed to achieve the EU/Mercosur trade agreement

  

  Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota and his visiting German counterpart Guido Westerwelle on Monday called for signing a free trade agreement between the European Union and the South American trade bloc Mercosur.

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 05:46 UTC

  UK Defence Select Committee plans to visit the Falklands next month

  

  British lawmakers will visit the Falkland Islands next month in a move that is likely to heighten tensions between Britain and Argentina over the Islands, The Times reported on Wednesday.

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 05:42 UTC

  Cameron rings Chilean president to discuss Falklands and self determination

  

  Chilean president Sebastián Piñera received a surprise phone call at his summer residence on Tuesday afternoon from PM David Cameron who referred to the current Falklands dispute.

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 00:24 UTC

  FIFA warns Argentina football leaders about Falklands’ conflict reference

  

  FIFA has asked Argentina's football leaders to explain reports that their league has been named after a naval ship sunk by British forces during the Falkland Islands conflict 30 years ago.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 22:19 UTC

  Euro debt crisis: Moody warns France and Britain’s triple-A rating could be next

  

  Rating agency Moody's announced on Tuesday it had downgraded six European nations including Italy, Spain and Portugal, citing growing risks from Europe's debt crisis, and warned it may cut the triple-A ratings of France, Britain and Austria.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 21:49 UTC

  Argentina confirms it has accepted UN mediation offer for the Malvinas dispute

  

  The Argentine government confirmed on Tuesday through a letter sent by Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly President, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, that Argentina had accepted the mediation offer in order to find a pacific solution with the United Kingdom over the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 20:57 UTC

  S&P and Fitch downgrade Spain’s top banks: Santander and BBVA

  

  Banco Santander SA and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA were among 15 Spain-based financial firms downgraded by Standard & Poor's after the credit-ratings company reduced the nation's grade last month.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 20:51 UTC

  New Year or Euro crisis: China’s January exports fall, imports plummet 15.3%

  

  China's exports fell in January the first decline in more than two years, raising fresh concerns about the impact of a global slowdown on its economy. Exports dipped 0.5% from a year earlier hurt by sluggish demand and factories being shut during the Lunar New Year.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 20:46 UTC

  C&W Worldwide soars 30% after Vodafone said it was interested in takeover

  

  Vodafone Group, the world's largest mobile operator by revenue, is considering a bid for Britain's Cable & Wireless Worldwide, whose fixed-line network could boost bandwidth for its Internet-hungry customers.